Creating a Coaching Culture

Creating an organizational culture of coaching has been a personal quest for me since I began coaching in 1999. I have been inspired by 3 questions: “what could be possible in a company where people can be their true selves?,” and, “what would it be like to work in an organization where every voice is heard as a contribution?,” and where “what could be possible if people are working together? united through a shared purpose?" Those questions led to the founding of an organization in Maine and two in Japan.

Companies that dedicate themselves to creating conscious cultures build on the fertile ground of sound principles and clear vision. They attract the right group of talented and passionate individuals. They come together to create something greater than what is possible on their own. They don’t do it because it is easy. They do it because they are following their hearts. An organization’s internal focus might sound selfish but it has natural? positive effects on its clients and other stakeholders.?

There has been a great deal of research on leadership development over the last 30 years. Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, conducted more research than anyone on what makes a company successful in the long-term. He found that companies that are clear about what they can do the best in the world are the most enduring financially and also? attract loyal, engaged employees.???

These companies realize that their greatest assets are their people. Getting the “right people on the bus” is paramount for them. In his research, Jim Collins discovered that when you have committed and passionate people, you don’t need rigid hierarchy; when you have a clear purpose with clear goals, you don’t need bureaucracy; and when you have well organized action, you don’t need excessive controls.?

Why is a coaching culture needed?

A coaching culture can help organizations transition from the power-over worldview dominant today to the emerging power-with paradigm. The power-over worldview gave rise to a command-and-control style of leadership. It originates from a mechanistic, reductionistic perspective attributed to Isaac Newton. This is a paradigm that perceives the world from the outside and breaks it into smaller parts. It is a worldview that views? things as simple, static, and separate. It assumes that based on a basic set of rules and starting states, you can make accurate predictions of the future.

Leadership, in the power-over paradigm, was a title one earned. The man (and it was usually a man) at the top was expected to have the answers. He would dictate directions which employees were paid to follow or else fear losing their jobs. Top-level goals were identified followed by the steps to achieve them. These were broken down into small steps, and then into smaller action-oriented goals. This worked in times of less complexity than today but it doesn’t create the innovative and agile organizations that our times are now calling for. It also it doesn’t honor the dynamics that exists when you bring people together to work towards a common goal.

The power-over paradigm created a system that may have worked when life was less complicated. But now that we live in complex times, a worldview that is more adaptable and holistic is being called forth. It turns out that the future isn’t as predictable as we thought; infinitely complex interactions cannot be reduced to a handful of simple rules.?

New research shows that a more accurate worldview sees organizations as a dynamic living ecosystem made up of a web of relationships. The health of those relationships is the health of the company. To be complete and whole, an organization needs to create the conditions where each voice is heard and respected. The organization understands that everyone’s actions affect everyone in the organization in some way.?

This new worldview can be called the “power-with” paradigm. In this paradigm, leadership isn’t a privilege of those at the top. Instead, leadership is seen as a quality that everyone processes and can develop. Instead of dictating the action and setting direction, a leader creates the conditions for the people to flourish. Leadership is expressed through authenticity and aligning one’s words with one’s actions instead of forcing people to get things done.??

As Margaret Wheatley wrote in Leadership and the New Science: “Why would we stay locked in our belief that there is one right way to do something, or one correct interpretation to a situation, when the universe demands diversity and thrives on a plurality of meaning?”

What are the Qualities of a Coaching Culture?

A company that supports a coaching culture must have a clear purpose (beyond simply turning a profit), a clear vision, and clear values. Everyone understands its unique value proposition. Honest, clean and direct communication habits are demonstrated by staff to staff and between staff and stakeholders. The organization’s brand message is authentic and congruent with its culture. Trust is present throughout the organization and nurtured by shared values and principles.?

A coaching culture has high levels of engagement. People are excited to go to work. Employees are excited to step out of their comfort zones to take on challenges bigger than themselves in the service of their individual development and in service of the company. Workplace challenges nourish them. People learn together as they work towards a shared vision. They inspire and challenge one another to develop themselves towards individual leadership challenges. Constructive and appreciative feedback is part of the organization’s fabric; they ask open-ended questions, listen actively, and make follow-up inquiries. They put principles before policy and see failures as opportunities to learn.?

A coaching culture sees leadership as a quality that everyone possesses inherently. They put processes in place that help people develop themselves. Coaching cultures also use highly visible artifacts. These are carefully crafted communication reminders that distill organizational culture and values into a digestible and easily referenced format. They are used both internally and externally to create transparency about the organization culture for all its stakeholders. Coaching cultures create accelerated learning environments. People develop their emotional intelligence and become adept at human dynamics. De-centralized authority and decision making as well as transparent information systems allows them to harness the power of teams.

What are the benefits?

Considering the speed of business today, the global marketplace in which we compete, and the drive towards faster innovation, companies who do not adapt a coaching culture are at risk. They will be less likely to foster an engaged workforce and less likely to take advantage of the full range of ideas and knowledge inherent in all levels of its organization. They may lose key employees by not adequately developing and challenging them and keeping them engaged. They may not meet current strategic goals because they do not effectively harness the collective capabilities of the employee base, and their strategy lacks a future vision. The good news is that adapting a coaching culture is not difficult. It takes time and dedication, but perseverance will pay dividends in the long run.?

References:

Clutterbuck, David, “Coaching the Team at Work”

Collins, Jim, “Good to Great”

Covey, Steven “7 Habits of Highly Successful People”

McChrystal, General Stanley, “Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World”

Wheatley, Margaret, “Leadership and the New Science”

Wilbur, Ken, “The Theory of Everything”